Straw-cutter



(No Model.)

T. HARTLEY.

Straw Cutter.

No. 231,422. Patented Aug. 24, 1880.

lz'yf.

N, PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHH, WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TILGHMAN HARTLEY, OF SALEM, INDIANA.

STRAW-CUTTE R.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 231,422, dated August24, 1880,

Application filed April 17, 1880.

= to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon,forming a part of this specification, in which drawings Figure l is aperspective view of the strawcutter from the cutting end of thecutting-box.

Fig. 2 is a broken vertical section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the rear or inner side of thecutting-blade and its stock and guides. Fig. 4c is a detail plan view ofthe device for parting the straw being cut. Fig. 5is a detail verticalcross-section of the cuttingbox and the straw-parting device. Fig. 6 isa detail longitudinal section of the cutting-blade and its stock orsupporting-sash.

The nature of my invention will fully appear from the subjoineddescription, when considered with reference to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this description.

The objects of my invention I accomplish by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which A indicates the cutterbox of myimproved straw-cutter supported upon cross-ties of a supporting-framerepresented in perspective view in Fig. 1. The front posts, A A of thesupporting-frame are rabbeted, as at a, to receive the flanges a of themetal blatle'sash B, and said sash or stock is held in working positionby cleats c secured in any proper manner to the posts A A and when saidcleats are applied, as in Fig. 1, they form, in connection with therabbets a, a grooveway in which the flanges a work as the bladesash B isoperated up and down in the act of cutting straw or other like substanceprojected from the box A beneath the cutting or knife blade I).

A fulcrum-pin, as at g, is made to project from the knife-sash B, towhich the operatinghandle H of the straw-cutter is pivoted and properlysecured, as indicated in said figure. One end of this handle is pivoted,as at h, to a rod, h, whose lower end is pivotally secured in the post Aso that when the handle H is (No model.)

worked in the act of cutting straw the rod h will oscillate in accordwith the movements of the handle, at the same time affording it a propersupport and steadiness of action.

The knife-sash B, I construct of a single piece of cast metal having itsbody portions 1) form an obtuse angle, as at 12 and when thecutting-blade b is secured to the inner side of said sash B,'as shown inthe figures, the line of cut of the cutting-edge of the knife I), bothat the right and left hand of said obtuse angle D will be at an angle offorty-five degrees to the horizontal line or plane of projection of thestraw from the box A, and thus cut the straw on such angle.

The cutting of the straw on an angle of forty-five degrees, as stated,not only requires less power of the operator to be applied to the handleH than would be the case were the cut made directly across or at rightangles with the straw, while at the same time the oblique limbs of theknife-blade b, on either side of the angle I), possess a capacity forcutting just so much more straw at a single stroke as the united lengthof said limbs exceed the width of the cutter-box A at the dotted line a:in Fig. 5. To facilitate this oblique cut of the straw on either side ofthe angleb of theblade b, I provide the cutter-box with a cast-metalplate, 0, the outline of which is shown in plan view, Fig. 4. Theforward end portion, 0 c c, of said plate is constructed to exactlyregister with the cutting-edgeofthe knife-blade b when set in workingposition, as in Figs. 1 and 2. Its sides, as at 0 are formed to abutagainst the inside surfaces of the side pieces, 6, of th e cutter-box A,and so be held from lateral play, and thence it tapers down to itsextreme rear portion, as at 0 Near its rear end, a, it is perforated forthe insertion of a screw, 8, which screws into the bottom piece, 6, ofthe box A, and by means of which it may be fastened fixedly in theposition indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The perforation through the plate 0 may conform to the size of the shankof the screw s, and thus hold the plate 0 in only one given position 5or the perforation may be slightly elongated, as signified at s, and soadmit of the longitudinal forward adjustment of the plate 0 as thecutting-face of the knife b wears away.

The upper surface of the plate 0, as shown at 0 Figs. 1 and 5, slopesaway from its longitudinal central line, 0 and downwardly toward and tothe sides of the cutter-box, so that when the straw is pressed upon thesurface 0 by the action of the knife-blade bin the act of cutting thesloping orcurved form of said surface on either side of the longitudinalcentral line, a, will hold the straw firmly against theupwardly-inclined edge of the knife-blade, and thus effect a shearingcut of the straw.

Figs. 1, 2, and 5 show a metal guide-cap, D, secured to the upper edgesof the side pieces, 0 e, of the box A. This cap is of angular form, asshown in Figs. 2 and 5, and has its forward end slopingdownward, so asto press the straw toward the plate 0 during the operation of themachine. The extreme forward angular portions; ff, of this cap areformed so as to abut against the inner surface of the portions 1) of theblade-sash B, and thus also serve to steady the action of the sashduring its up and down movements.

When it becomes necessary to remove the sash B to grind the blade I),its removal can be effected by simply detaching the handle 11 from itsfulcrum-pin g, and then raising the sash B up out of its hearings in theposts A A The peculiar formation of the plateG serves to part the strawto the cutting action of the knife-blade b, and so distribute the massof straw over the curved surface 0 and beneath the cutting-edge of theblade I) on either side of its angle b thereby producing ease incutting, while a large amount of straw can be cut at a single stroke ofthe sash B, during which blade to the sash the latter has a portion of 5its inner face cut away, as indicated in Fig. 6, so that the blade maybe seated therein and the blade secured in position to the sash byscrews. The blade and the sash when thus secured, and in the position asindicated in Fig. 3, will then form such an adjustment that theworking-face of the blade and the inner surface of the body portions bof the sash will he flush with each other.

1 claim- 1. The combination of the angular cap D, the angular sash B,the angular blade b, and the plate (1, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

2. The metal plate 0, provided with the sloping surface 0 on each sideof its longitudinal center, and with its extreme forward end, 0 c 0,formed to register with the interior surface of the sash B and itscutting-blade I), substantially as and for the purpose described.

.TILGIIMAN HARTLEY.

\Vitnesses:

JAMEs B. BERKEY, DEMPSEY V. B. MOTSINGER.

